Eric Harper
Eric Harper (ne Whitfield) was a character from the ONtv series, Smythewood and Harpers Falls: New Beginnings. On Smythewood, Eric was played by Chace Crawford; and on HF: New Beginnings, he is played, on a contract basis, by Zack Conroy. From orphan to family The son of former prosecutor Dane Whitfield and socialite, Wendy Schraederman who had him out of wedlock, Eric had a hard childhood. He had no contact with his troublemaking father; and his mother was thought to be dead because she feared for her life against the abusive Dane. So, for most of his life, he was raised by his aunt, Vivienne VanCortlandt and had a close bond with his cousin, Shane Owens. In Smythewood, Eric is surprised when his mother comes back into his life. Although it took a while for him to unbend to the mother he had long thought dead, the bond is there. When Wendy announced that she would be marrying Michael Harper Eric was enthused. He had always liked Michael, and saw him as a more solid figure than his own father, Dane. Although the road to happiness was detoured by Natalya Ashton, Eric's mother and Michael found their way back to one another. They eventually married in Boston, and Eric was adopted into the Harper family. He now goes by the name of Eric Harper. After his uncle, Michael Whitfield, left town in disgrace after he tried to take advantage of family friend, Amy Smythe, his new great aunt, Patricia Wheeler had come up with an idea about him going to school in Orlando, Florida. Eric jumped at the chance, and with his mother's approval, Eric went on to University of Central Florida in Orlando, and moved down there with the aid of Patricia and her family, who were moving back to Florida themselves. He still makes some appearances, mainly for family holidays, along with the Lamberts. There is a possibility that he may transfer to a university close to Boston, so he can be close with his new family. Though he is not related to him by blood, Eric, like the bulk of the Harper family, is protective of his adopted brother, Dylan. Having come into the family, and realizing how sensitive he is, Eric makes it clear that nobody will harm his brother. Happily he has moved back to Boston and currently attends Boston University as a graduate student in Business. He also works at Harper Industries as a junior executive. Eric was devastated when his adopted dad died, and then was also plunged into more grief when his adopted sister, Hannah Harper Atchley was run down by his late scheming aunt Erica. However, the surprise that his mother was pregnant was a light in this dark time. When his mother gave birth to a daughter, Eric and the rest of his siblings throw themselves in taking care of their new sister, Alexandra Natalya. Later he was pleased and surprised when it was revealed that his cousin, Sheila Harper Watkins, was in reality his adopted sister. She and his beloved brother, Dylan, are twins, and as such, he readily accepted her into his family. Category:Characters Category:Harper family Category:Former Smythewood characters